A man who got into a physical altercation with Nate Diaz in New Orleans last year has filed a lawsuit against the MMA legend.
Diaz had a warrant issued for his arrest last April on a felony charge stemming from a fight he had with another man on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Diaz had been seen putting a man in a guillotine choke hold that apparently made the man lose consciousness. Diaz initially put his hands up like he did not want to get involved. The man was later identified as amateur fighter Rodney Petersen. You can see videos of the altercation here.
Diaz turned himself in, and the charge of second-degree battery was later dropped.
According to TMZ, Petersen filed a lawsuit against Diaz earlier this week in Orleans Parish. Petersen is seeking damages for injuries he claims he sustained during the April 2023 altercation.
Petersen claims Diaz attacked him unprovoked and choked Petersen until he was unconscious, causing him to hit his head on the concrete ground. Petersen says he sustained a head injury and is seeking an unspecified amount of money.
When TMZ reached out to Diaz’s rep Zach Rosenfield for comment on the lawsuit, Rosenfield simply replied “LOL.” Diaz’s camp believes video evidence shows that the 39-year-old was minding his own business when Petersen approached Diaz and the former UFC fighter felt the need to defend himself.
Diaz is 21-13 in his MMA career. He fought in the UFC for most of his career but recently became a free agent. He is known for his submission win over Conor McGregor in 2016, which was McGregor’s first ever loss in the UFC.
